Bow tie construction



Apr-ii 9, 1968 E. M. KITCHEN BOW TIE CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 13, 1966 III] Earl M. Kitchen INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,376,575) BOW TIE CONSTRUCTION Earl M. Kitchen, 1309 Meadowbrook Ave., Los Angeles, Calif. 90019 Filed Oct. 13, 1966, Ser. No. 586,425 6 Claims. (Cl. 2-154) as usual, by the necktie proper, namely, a pair of duplicate or companion butterfly components or units, one which is the front or outer unit and the other one the rearward or inward unit, said units being connected together in aligned and overlapping relationship with the usual left and right wings bridging the usual gap of the wearers shirt collar. Clasp means is associatively cooperable with the inward tie unit and is hidden thereby. This clasp means embodies clips whose outer ends are fashioned into resilient gripping jaws which are separably connectible with the terminal ends of the aforementioned collar. In addition to the bow units and clasp means there is a novel complemental knot which provides the desired ready-towear appearance.

One feature of the present invention has to do with the butterfly or terminal winged units. Instead of using leather or cloth as is customarily the case the two endlooped units are made of an appropriate grade of colorful commercial plastics. To the ends desired the coacting overlapping narrowed neck portions are provided with aligned slots.

3,376,579 Patented Apr. 9, 1968 FIG. 2 is an enlarged view with parts in section and elevation taken on the plane of the vertical section line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view in perspective of the improved bow tie looking at the inwardly or rearwardly presented surfaces of the parts thereof.

And FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view wherein all of the component parts are individually shown in their ready-to-assemble and coacting relationship.

Referring to the views of the drawing (particularly FIG. 4) it will be seen that the forward or outer bow tie component or unit is denoted by the numeral 6 and the inward or rearward component or unit by the numeral 8. These units are identical in construction and are horizontally elongated and each unit is provided at the left hand end (FIG. 4) with a gradually widening loop or wing 10. The corresponding looped wings at the right are denoted at 12. The intervening or connecting portions are gradually narrowed to assume the desired shape and connecting relationship and each is designated as a neck portion 14. The oriented neck portions 14 are in turn provided with registering horizontally elongated rectangular Another and equally important feature has to do with i the means which constitutes and provides an unusual but uniquely satisfactory knot. In keeping with the principles of the present invention the knot is unique in that it comprises a substantially U-shaped plastic member whose bight portion is suitably arcuately curved to present the desired convex knot appearance. Primarily, however, the limbs of this U-shaped unit bridge over the edge portions of the neck portions of the coacting bow units and the bight portion is provided with a tongue, said tongue being properly related to the arms or limbs of the U-shaped-member and passing through the assembling slots provided therefor in order to thus coordinate the two butterfly units and the companion and complemental knot unit.

Further novelty is predicated on the adoption and use of a clasp which is preferably made up of a pair of duplicate clips. The outer ends of the clips are fashioned into jaws. The median portions of the clips are provided with slots which correspond with the slots in the bow units whereby to permit the passage therethrough of the assembling and retaining tongue, said tongue being assembled and retained by a suitably proportioned insertable pin, said pin being held by the resilient properties of the adjacent clip and bridging and abutting the terminal ends of the limbs of the U-shaped member.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully herein-after described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective showing a bow tie constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention and illustrating the manner in which it is attached to the down-pointed terminal ends of the wearers shirt collar.

or equivalent slots 16.

The knot means, also made from commercial molded plastic material, is denoted as a unit by the numeral 18. It is in the form of a U-shaped member conveniently referred to as a U-shaped clamp which has a suitably curved or concavo-convex bight portion 20 which is saddled over the neck portion 14 of the outer tie unit 6. The broad flat faced limbs 22 straddle the edge portions of both neck portions 14 and project beyond the same to the degree and extent illustrated in FIG. 2. An elongated rectangular tongue or assembling tang is denoted at 24 and has a forward or outer end portion anchored in place on the concave side of the bight 20, the inner end projecting beyond the ends of the limbs 22 as-denoted at 28 and being provided with a suitable hole 30 for the assembling and retaining dowel or pin 32.

The hole and pin are precisely made and the hole is located relative to the ends of the limbs so that when the pin is in place the upper and lower ends abut the ends of the limbs as brought out in FIG. 2. In practice it may be desired to make the pin slightly wedge-shaped (not shown) so that when it is inserted into the hole it Will frictionally maintain its stay-put position. Normally, however, the pin is retained and held by a coacting one of the clips of the attaching and retaining clasp. This clasp is accordingly made up of a pair of duplicate clips one of which is the outer clip and denoted at 34 and the other one the inner clip at 36. These clips are alike in construction and the median portions are substantially straight and parallel as at 3 8 and are provided with keying and assembling slots 40 which line up with the aforementioned slots 16 and permit passage therethrough of the end portion of the tongue 24. The left and right end portions of the clips are flared or ben't arcuately in opposite directions as at 42 to provide suitable attaching and retaining jaws.

As brought out in the views of the drawing and particularly FIGS. 2v and 3, the bow tie units 6 and 8 occupy the customary companion overlapping or aligned relationship with the neck portions 14 so arranged that the slots 16 are ready for reception and passage of the assembling and retaining tongue 24. Hence the tongue is passed through the slots 16 and then through the slots 40 in the straight intermediate or median portions 38 of the two resilient clips 34 and 36. The apertured end portion of the tongue projects beyond the rearward or innermost clip 36 to expose the hole 30 so that the pin 32 can be dropped down in place to assume the linking and clamping relationship brought out in both FIGS. 2 and 3. As stated it is possible to fasten the pin in place with means other than that shown but experience has shown that by embodying the proper inherent tension in the clip 36 the portion 38 exerts pressure against the median portion of the pin and hence the pin is held satisfactorily in place. This simplifies the mode and step of assembling the parts.

It is unique in a tie construction to employ an imitation bowknot 18 wherein the same is of U-shaped form and provided with edge bridging and assembling limbs 22 and with a properly constructed and arranged assembling tongue 24 which is held by a pin and which in turn is held by one of the clips of a pair of clips in a jaw-type clasp as shown and described. Needless to say all of the component parts are effectually made so that they can be oriented and coordinated to achieve the quick assembling and final assembled position and relationship shown and described.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A made-up bow tie comprising at least one butterfiy-type component having left and right loop-type wings having adjacent inner ends joined by a relatively narrow connecting neck, a readily attachable and detachable tie positioning and retaining clasp embodying a pair of opposed resilient clips having free terminal ends fashioned into and providing yieldable shirt collar gripping jaws, said clips being alike and having median portions opposed to and parallel with an inwardly disposed face of said neck, knot means separate from said tie component and clasp and having portions straddling and cooperating with said neck and said median portions and provided with a tongue piercing said neck and median portions and secured in place and assembling and operatively joining said clasp and tie components in oriented and ready-tonse relationship, said knot means comprises a V-shaped clamp embodying a convexly rounded bight portion spanning the coacting neck portion and spaced parallel limbs bridging and embracing edges of said neck portion and median portions of said clips, said tongue having an outer end joined to said bight portion, said tongue occupying a position between but spaced from said limbs.

2. The bow tie according to claim 1, and wherein said tie component, clips and U-shaped clamp and tongue thereon are all made of moldable plastic material and are proportional in size and mated for harmonizing coordination, the portions of the tie component and clips pierced by said tongue having corresponding pre-formed tongue adapting slots and said tongue passing through the respective slots and having a free inward end equipped with an assembling and retaining pin.

3. The bow tie according to claim 2, and wherein said slots are rectangular in shape, said tongue being linearly straight, being located midway between the limbs of the U-shaped clamp, conforming in cross-sectional shape to said slots and being of a length greater than the length of said limbs, the free inward end of said tongue having a hole therein, and said pin being lodged in said hole and contacting the median portion of the coacting clip and being partially held and retained in its given position by the last named median portion.

4. The bow tie according to claim 3, and wherein said pin is in a plane at right angles to the plane of said limbs and is of a length that it bridges the space between I the limbs and has upper and lower terminal ends abutting the respective inward ends of said limbs.

5. A made-up ready-to-wear bow tie of the character herein described comprising a first inwardly disposed elongated butterfly-type tie unit made of moldable plastic material and embodying looped left and right wings having gradually narrowing inner adjacent ends joined by a suitably narrowed elongatedineck portion centrally provided with a horizontally disposed slot, a second but outwardly disposed elongated butterfly-type tie unit which is a duplicate of the first unit and is oriented and aligned therewith in overlapping matching relationship with its slot registering with the first named slot, a readily attachable and detachable tie mounting, positioning and retaining clasp, said clasp comprising a pair of duplicate opposed resilient clips having free terminal outer ends fashioned into and providing yieldable shirt collar gripping jaws, said clips being identical in construction and each clip having a median portion, the median portions being opposed to and parallel with each other, said median portions having aligned slots and said slots being in alignment with the first named slOtS, a substantially U-shaped assembling clamp made of moldable plastic material and proportional in size and mated for harmonizing coordination with edge portions of the tie units and clips, said U-shaped clamp having a projecting tongue and said tongue passing slidingly through the respectively aligned slots in a manner to assemble the U-shaped clamp and to provide the desired finished bow tie appearance.

6. The structure defined in claim 5 and wherein said tongue has an inner end portion provided with a hole, said I hole adapted to accommodatea pin, and a dowel-like pin having a median portion lodged in said hole and end portions abutting the adjacent inner ends of the limbs of the U-shaped clamp, the inherent resiliency of an adjacent part of a coacting clip bearing against a median portion of said pin to assist in holding the pin in its given assembled position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,021,078 3/1912 Spalding 2-154 1,926,209 9/1933 Maroth 2154 2,777,131 1/1957 Case 2154 3,005,989 10/1961 Kitchen 2154 PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Exarm'ner 

1. A MADE-UP BOW TIE COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE BUTTERFLY-TYPE COMPONENT HAVING LEFT AND RIGHT LOOP-TYPE WINGS HAVING ADJACENT INNER ENDS JOINED BY A RELATIVELY NARROW CONNECTING NECK, A READILY ATTACHABLE AND DETACHABLE TIE POSITIONING AND RETAINING CLASP EMBODYING A PAIR OF OPPOSED RESILIENT CLIPS HAVING FREE TERMINAL ENDS FASHIONED INTO AND PROVIDING YIELDABLE SHIRT COLLAR GRIPPING JAWS, SAID CLIPS BEING ALIKE AND HAVING MEDIAN PORTIONS OPPOSED TO AND PARALLEL WITH AN INWARDLY DISPOSED FACE OF SAID NECK, KNOT MEANS SEPARATE FROM SAID TIE COMPONENT AND CLASP AND HAVING PORTIONS STRADDLING AND COOPERATING WITH SAID NECK AND SAID MEDIAN PORTIONS AND PROVIDED WITH A TONGUE PIERCING SAID NECK AND MEDIAN PORTIONS AND SECURED IN PLACE AND ASSEMBLING AND OPERATIVELY JOINING SAID CLASP AND TIE COMPONENTS IN ORIENTED AND READY-TOUSE RELATIONSHIP, SAID KNOT MEANS COMPRISES A V-SHAPED CLAMP EMBODYING A CONVEXLY ROUNDED BIGHT PORTION SPANNING THE COACTING NECK PORTION AND SPACED PARALLEL LIMBS BRIDGING AND EMBRACING EDGES OF SAID NECK PORTION AND MEDIAN PORTIONS OF SAID CLIPS, SAID TONGUE HAVING AN OUTER END JOINED TO SAID BIGHT PORTION, SAID TONGUE OCCUPYING A POSITION BETWEEN BUT SPACED FROM SAID LIMBS. 